Nevertheless a start was made for the resting place of the previous night, the party trudging along the narrow beach in Indian file. All at once Ben, who was in the lead, stopped short.
"Look!" he exclaimed, pointing overhead.
The boys followed his finger and gave a shout of astonishment.
"Smoke!" cried Frank.
"Hurrah," cheered Harry, "it's the Southern Cross."
He waved his hat at the dark wreaths of vapor that were blowing across the island overhead.
The smoke scudded across the sky like small fleecy clouds, but it momentarily grew thicker and blacker.
"She's smoking up all right," laughed Billy Barnes, all his fears gone now that rescue seemed at hand.
Ben alone of the party seemed troubled.
"I'm not so sure that that's steamer smoke," he said slowly.